Against All Odds/Character Board
The Against All Odds Character Board is a place where users involved in the AAO expanded universe can submit their characters for review, and suggest and receive ideas for collaboration with other users' characters and events. The Character Board was the idea of Actene and was agreed on by AAO's senior users, and was set up to promote more in-universe integration of characters and events between authors. The 'board' consists of all currently active AAO members. Any AAO members may contribute to the board; in fact, contribution is actively encouraged. Please use the format below to submit articles to the board. ARTICLENAME Info *'Name': ARTICLENAME *'Author': *'Description': (describe the character briefly) *'Summary of requirements': Board Suggestions (The board will use this section to suggest improvements and fanon elements the character can be involved in. Don't forget to sign.) Use the 'Summary of requirements' field to suggest to the panel ideas or the events or other involvement you want to give your chararacter. Even the vaguest suggestions from the author will be useful, and will help the panel either get started or suggest ideas. __TOC__ =Submissions= Use this section to submit characters to the board using the above format. Submit your article according to the time period it fits into, or if there are more than one, the period you most wish to develop. Colonial Independence Campaigns Human-Covenant War Thomas Martel Info *'Name': Thomas Martel (Human-Covenant War) *'Author': and *'Description': While I haven't added the following info to the character's page, at the time the Human-Covenant War starts, Thomas is middle-aged. He works at a hospital on some human colony. Eventually, because on some obscure article he wrote before the war about biological contagions, he's contracted by the UNSC Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop biological weapons for use against the Covenant. Thomas is pragmatist, he sees things that must be done, and weighs the effects it has on its environment, at least that's what he claims. He tries to see things objectively as possible (as with most scientists) but is sometimes troubled by the moral implications of what he's done. This becomes more and more apparent as he get closer to developing a workable contagion for use against the elites. He understand that the Covenant showed no remorse when burning it's fair share of planets, but is still worried about the drastic consequences of his actions. *'Summary of requirements': I want to write a story or two about Tom's work on the contagion during the war. He's torn between ending the war and saving human lives, and the possible mass dying of a species, whether or not they are mercilessly killing humans. If that doesn't seem appealing enough, I'd like to see if anyone else has suggestions about how I should go about this character. Perhaps survival of a Covenant attack on a planet he's on, or better yet the Battle of Earth. Not too picky at the moment, just noting that Sona has the final say on everything to do with this character. Also usable with Colonial Independence Campaigns and Interspecies Union Conflicts. Board Suggestions Rykie-247 Info *'Name': Rykie-247 *'Author': *'Description': A class 2 SPARTAN-II that was conscripted in 2537. He frequently works under the command of Admiral Margaret Parangosky, among other ONI officers. He worked with Jorge-052 briefly in 2548 and 2549, shortly before Jorge was assigned to NOBLE Team. *'Summary of requirements': Involvement in Human-Covenant War battles with mostly black operations military personnel. Also usable in Interspecies Union Conflicts. Board Suggestions Oscar-192 Info *'Name': Oscar-192 *'Author': *'Description': A class 2 SPARTAN-II that was conscripted in 2537. He was assigned to take a classified operation in February 2552 and returned to the UNSC after the Human-Covenant War after successfully completing his mission. *'Summary of requirements': Involvement in Human-Covenant War battles, expansion on 2552 low-level op. Also usable in Interspecies Union Conflicts. Board Suggestions Interspecies Union Conflicts Niji-240 Info *'Name': Niji-240 *'Author': Flame-124 *'Description': A SPARTAN-II from the second class, the designated marksman in a heavy weapons team. Though not particularly distinguishing himself as far as Spartans go, he was an exceptional marksman. He served at the battle of Psi Serpentis and other various battles, usually acting alone with support from his own "dumb" AI programmed for sniping. After the Great War he is disillusioned, but continues fighting to restore the peace that was his original purpose, now working with the sangheili rather than blasting their brain pans out. May have a romantic relationship with Sakura, one of his partners, though it is never really shown. *'Summary of Requirements': Any story where Spartans are operating in tandem with each other. His class isn't as well known as the first Spartan-II class, and so any first class Spartan or Spartan-III might not have heard of him, which helps with his sniping mission. He'll typify the cold sniper while in combat, though be friendlier (for a Spartan) outside of combat. Also has a lot of laconic wit. Board Suggestions Diana Info *'Name': Diana *'Author': *'Description': A rogue Insurrectionist smart A.I., Diana considers herself above all organic life and holds most "meatbags" in contempt. Much to her chagrin, fate has put her to use doing the dirty work of some of the lowest forms of organic life, a fact that she never ceases to complain about. Her favorite target for abuse is her partner-in-crime, the renegade SPARTAN-III Simon-G294, aka "dumbass," with whom she forms a mercenary duo operating under the pseudonym of "Mordred." Paranoid and obsessed with the concept of eternal "life", Diana committed the cardinal sin of altering her own core programming in order to escape the fate of rampancy. While this self-alteration has saved her from insanity, it has also removed any morality subroutines she might once have had, allowing her to remorselessly take any number of organic lives if she feels it suits her goals. *'Summary of requirements': She'll be in just about any story Simon's in. I'm trying to write her as being caustically witty, rather like Serina from Halo Wars, but so far I'm told the results are more annoying than anything else, so any advice in that regard is appreciated. Board Suggestions Cody-D1274 Info *'Name': Cody-D1274 *'Author': *'Description': The leader of SPARTAN-III Delta Company Basilisk Team. Cody is an orphan from the planet Reach and was conscripted into the SPARTAN-III Program a few years after the Human-Covenant war, when he was taking refuge on Earth. Initially a rather distant candidate, he quickly caught the attention of his commanding officer, Ezekiel-254, and eventually was placed in charge of four other Spartans. Constantly trying to keep the relations on the somewhat volatile Basilisk Team in good condition, Cody is simultaneously fighting a war for the UNSC and trying to find something special in the frayed connection between his team members. *'Summary of requirements': Stories to place Cody in, along with his team. Characters for him to work with, preferably within the UNSC, Spartan or not. Maybe a few people he can get to know on a more personal level. Mission ideas and events that will characterize Basilisk Team's militarily professional but personally fragile bond. Expanded and preferably completed articles for Cody's teammates. Board Suggestions Simon-G294 Info *'Name': Simon-G294 *'Author': *'Description': A troubled young man, Simon-G294 is the first SPARTAN-III to turn on the government he was trained to protect. Living in squalid conditions as a homeless urchin, Simon eagerly accepted recruitment into the program as a means of escaping his hopeless existence. But his compulsive cowardice made him the worst-performing candidate in the history of the SPARTAN program, and after years of ridicule and derision he was cut off from the rest of his unit on the rebellious world of Mamore. A band of child soldiers became his new family, only to be slaughtered by the government Simon had once served. Taken in by the Insurrection, Simon turned on his new masters when they left him to die during a UNSC attack. Cast adrift in cryosleep with his new companion Diana and estranged comrade Cassandra-G006, Simon was eventually awakened in a changed galaxy. Rescued from a brief stint as a Brute slave, Simon spent time in a Sangheili keep but was unable to settle down and departed to live the life of a mercenary under the pseudonym "Mordred". Scheming and deceitful by nature, Simon merely wishes to get by and stay alive in a dangerous galaxy, but is sometimes troubled by what little conscience he has left. *'Summary of requirements': If it's a HCW story, he's a normal S-III, albeit a cowardly and incompetent one. IU conflicts, he can be just about anyone's chew toy, so long as he manages to weasel his way out of whatever situation he finds himself in. Since he's my flagship character, I'd be more than willing to offer further advice on how to use him. Board Suggestions David Kahn Info *'Name': David Kahn *'Author': *'Description': The son of a decorated war hero, Hector Thornhill killed his father after the former murdered his mother in a drunken rage. Recruited into the S-I program, he was at the top of his training division even before being surgically enhanced. But a mission gone wrong cut him off from the UNSC and left him disillusioned with his purpose in life. Assuming the name of an Insurrectionist he had killed, the renamed David Kahn set about making a name for himself as the galaxy's most feared mercenary even as the HCW raged around him. By the IU conflicts era, he is the most prestigious gun for hire in the galactic underworld, but is now paranoid about the strength of the legacy he will leave behind him. To that end, he trained the Insurrectionist test-tube child "Nimue" to be his "successor", putting the young girl through hellish training in order to make her the ultimate assassin. *'Summary of requirements': The problem with characters who are the "best" in their field is that the title makes them unattractive for other writers to work with. Basically the very nature of his character means he needs to come out on or near the top in any story he appears in, which doesn't bode well for characters who he's playing a supporting role to. Board Suggestions Nimue Info *'Name': Nimue *'Author': *'Description': Originally meant to be a loyal assassin for the Insurrection, Nimue was designed to be slightly faster and more agile than regular humans from birth. However, her training was hijacked by David Kahn, who wanted her to become his successor and legacy. Essentially raised in a bunker, Nimue was brutally drilled in all manner of armed and unarmed combat as Kahn conditioned her to be as deadly as he was. But Insurrectionist interference cut her off from the man she viewed as a father, leaving a young Nimue to strike out on her own far earlier than Kahn had intended. *'Summary of requirements': I realized about halfway through writing up this character that she had Mary Sue stamped all over her, so feel free to kick her ass if you wind up writing about her. The way I see it, she's like Boba Fett as he was portrayed in the Clone Wars series: she's got the talent and capability, but isn't quite there just yet. She's also socially awkward, which makes for some interesting dialogue/interaction. Board Suggestions Brandon Smith Info *'Name': Brandon Smith *'Author': *'Description': An initially idealistic young soldier raised on Fumirole before it's destruction, Brandon joined the military after being inspired by his family's military members fighting against the Insurrection. However, counter to his (and most of Fumirole's) belief that the Covenant were propaganda, Brandon is assigned to a squad that is, within six months of first deployment, devastated and marooned. Surviving with a few others on a backwater world, Brandon is then taken captive by Brutes and used as a slave: after he escapes with two other prisoners-of-war, he rejoins the military after some rehabilitation in 2554. Assigned to Roy Koel's Marine team, he eventually takes command in the 2560's when Roy is wounded and proceeds to retire. *'Summary of requirements': I want to write a post-war story or two with Brandon as the main character, just not sure how to pull it off. He's in charge of a Marine squad with possible ONI connections if that intrigues anyone. I'd also love to do some tie-ins with his brief Great War past, or perhaps his time in Covie captivity. Not to picky with the potential future at the moment. Board Suggestions Yuri Rosch Info *'Name': Yuri Rosch *'Author': *'Description': Commander Yuri Rosch is an agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence and often acts as a field commander for ground deployments under the intelligence branch's jurisdiction. A true fanatic, Rosch is fervently loyal to the UNSC and ONI in particular, believing both to be essential for humanity's continued survival. The HCW has left Rosch with anti-alien views that border on xenophobia, and the UEG's entry into the Interspecies Union is one of the only government actions he has ever questioned. Rosch is infamous for his ruthlessness on the battlefield, a trait that has earned him and the few ONI personnel under his permanent command the epithet "ONI's attack dogs." His hardline approach to alien and rebel threats has alienated many of his peers and superiors, though many Spartans and other special forces admire his directness. *'Summary of requirements': Originally started as little more than a FFXIII homage, Rosch is gravitating (in my ambitious mind at any rate) towards epitomizing the questionable lengths ONI goes to in order to preserve the UNSC. If you need a UNSC commander to come into your story and start fighting terror with terror, this is your guy. Board Suggestions Dominic-094 Info *'Name': Dominic-094 *'Author': *'Description': He's a SPARTAN-II who survived the Great War. He has some of the best CQC skills, but since he's more of the careful type, he actually does more sharpshooting, and only goes CQC when he has to. He also jumps the highest and the farthest out of all the SPARTAN-IIs, although I'm not sure if that is important. Personality-wise, he's usually quiet, but talks more with only Sam-015 and Seung-ah-G217. Those two are also the only two he cares about (during the H-C War though, he was more like a quiet Jorge, but the war made him stop caring). He's also kind of overprotective of the two he cares about. *'Summary of requirements': I would like for him to be in a battle with Taszar 'Vadam and/or Zehr'tul 'Sum, but any battle in general works fine. In terms of weapons, he should be deployed with a shotgun, a pistol, and a DMR (of course, for weapons that aren't mine, if allowed). Board Suggestions Samantha-015 Info *'Name': Samantha-015 *'Author': *'Description': Another SPARTAN-II who lived through the Great War, obviously. She survived Reach: picked her up in time. She went MIA on the surface of Earth, but got back to the UNSC immediately after the end of the H-C War. She's good at timing with slow projectile weapons, so like rockets and grenades. As mentioned in Dom's section, she is very close to him. She's also kind of like a female version of Jorge, in terms of personality. *'Summary of requirements': I would prefer her being in at least one battle with Dom. Weapons, MA7T Carbine (Type-40 Directed-energy pistol instead, if allowed), Rocket Launcher, and Spartan Laser. Board Suggestions Seung-ah-G218 Info *'Name': Seung-ah-G218 *'Author': *'Description': She's a medic, and one of the worst SPARTAN-IIIs at fighting. Of course, she's still better than all the normal soldiers. When she's treating wounded guys, they tend to stay alive but also not feel as much pain, but because of what she says to them (giving them the will to live). *'Summary of requirements': Like Sam, I would rather her be in a battle with Dom. Board Suggestions Pete Stacker Info *'Name': Pete Stacker (AAO) *'Author': *'Description': An expansion on the semi-canon Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Pete Stacker *'Summary of requirements': Most of the expansion I'm doing now closely follows the games, and I'm linking to a lot of canon articles. But what we see in the games is what we already know. I want to fill in the gaps with original stories. For example, how did he get aboard the Shadow of Intent to leave the Ark, and who else was there? A POV sequel essence, I'm looking for anyone who comes in close contact with the stories of the games that could meet up with Stacker, tying things closer together. Board Suggestions =Suggestions= Use this section to suggest ideas or events that anyone may use for their character. This will help people pick events from this section to use, rather than wait for people to suggest it under their character. If you are the author of an AAO event, do not submit it if you don't want others involving their characters in it, because that is the whole point. Use the following code to submit suggestions. Event Info *'Name': ARTICLENAME (if applicable) *'Author(s)': *'Description': (describe the suggestion briefly) *'Date/Era': *'Who can be involved': (summarise the type of character permitted; any UNSC characters, SPARTANs, etc) *'Further details': Suggestion Submissions Operation: CIRCUMVENT Info *'Name': Operation: CIRCUMVENT *'Author(s)': and *'Description': a UNSC operation to cut off a large portion of Covenant activity within UNSC space. *'Date/Era': 2569 *'Who can be involved': SPARTAN-IIIs of Delta Company, UNSC Naval and Marine Corps personnel *'Further details': While initially meant to be a story, CIRCUMVENT now won't get that developed, as both original creators haven't got the time. What it will be is an article describing a UNSC raid on a Covenant resupply post; and maybe half a dozen UNSC counterattacks that happen across UNSC colonies in the wake of the raid. The undeveloped state of the operation means virtually anything based on this premise can be written into it. If enough people express interest, the article will be written by all authors who've submitted characters (after agreeing on a rough outline) and all contributors will get the chance to write their character's actions into the event. Because of its time period, it's essentially a great way to give a bit of backstory to any post-Great War AAO characters that lack it. Battle of Miridem Info *'Name': Battle of Miridem *'Author(s)': *'Description': the UNSC defence of the colony world Miridem *'Date/Era': 2544 *'Who can be involved': SPARTAN-IIs, UNSC Navy, Army and Marine Corps personnel, civilians, Covenant characters *'Further details': Minor character development here. The article is pretty much written, but authors are free to include events of this battle in their character's biographies in order to develop them. If the character is of special significance, such as a SPARTAN-II or a high-ranking military officer, that would warrant inclusion in the article. Operation: TRIUMVIRATE Info *'Name': Operation: TRIUMVIRATE *'Author(s)': *'Description': A 6-week rebel uprising on the planet of Taradia, shortly before the full stages of Project ORION are initiated. Mostly a tactical operation, with relatively little ground warfare. Takes place mostly in the city of Three Gates, but also in New Celje near the end of the conflict. *'Date/Era': 2491 *'Who can be involved': UNSC personnel from any branch, excluding potential participants of ORION. Any human rebels eligible for the time period are also acceptable. *'Further details': Taradia is Rozh's planet. Close details should be discussed with him. Category:Against All Odds